


Ends of the Earth

by yellowflickerbeats



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Best Friends, F/M, Underage Drinking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-24
Updated: 2017-05-24
Packaged: 2018-11-04 13:53:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,536
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10992261
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yellowflickerbeats/pseuds/yellowflickerbeats
Summary: Lacey French and Aiden Gold were just friends at their college. At least, that's what he thought they were.





	Ends of the Earth

**Author's Note:**

> Golden Lace College AU; one-shot. I wrote most of this yesterday as a therapeutic way to process emotions, so it may not be my best work. I hope you all enjoy though.

“You know you have class tomorrow, right?” Aiden Gold questioned while leaning back on the bed in the tiny dorm room. He had been shuffling through the apps on his phone before finally putting it down out of frustration. Lacey French had decided that she would be going out to a party. On a _Tuesday_ night. Gold was flustered. He couldn’t even imagine going out to dinner on a school night, let alone a party. Then again, being in a sorority impacted people differently. Even Lacey. 

“Yeah, and?” she retaliated while sifting through items in her closet. She had been searching for something to wear for the last 20 minutes (at least). She finally landed on a glittery blue piece that Gold wasn’t sure could even be considered a dress. It looked more like a long t-shirt. While he was trying to decide, Lacey turned and unexpectedly pulled off her top and shorts.

Instinctively, Gold covered his eyes. “God, Lace. A little heads-up next time would suffice,” he said. Any college guy would have loved to be in this situation, but Gold and Lacey were just friends. She was only a sophomore in her undergraduate degree at Storybrooke University, while he had just started the graduate program for his major. The age difference wasn’t tremendous, but it was enough to get people to talk. Still, it never phased Lacey. She was his best friend, and he knew that he was hers. 

“What? I’m wearing stuff underneath!” she responded as she pulled on the dress. She tied it quickly before turning back to him. “Okay, how do I look?” 

Gold took a deep breath before lowering his hand, taking in the girl in front of him. She looked gorgeous. The blue of the dress matched her eyes and her smile could have blinded him. He smiled and nodded. “You look fantastic, Lace.”

Her smile grew at his words. “Thank you,” she said, a small blush leaking onto her features. She ducked and began searching around her room before finally coming up with a hair tie on her dresser. She threw her hair up in a messy bun and pulled some stray pieces out to give it more of a natural look. She slipped into a pair of black heels before finally calling her outfit complete. 

“Could you maybe give me a ride? The party is a little bit off-campus,” she asked, putting on her best face in order to coax him. Little did she know, all she needed to do was ask and he’d move the world for her. Yet, he still enjoyed watching her put on a show for him in order to get her way. 

He faked an annoyed sigh. “Sure. Let’s go,” he murmured, hopping off her bed. She squealed before grabbing her phone and keys. 

“Great! Don’t worry about having to pick me up, I’ll find a ride!” 

\- - - 

He really didn’t expect for Lacey to find a ride. Part of him knew deep down that he would be the one picking her up that night. Yet, he was still shocked when his phone began ringing, waking him from his soft slumber. 

“Hello?” Gold answered, groggily. 

“Aiden! Oh my gosh, you answered!” Lacey said on the other end. If he wasn’t awake before, than the loud sound of her voice would have definitely woken him up. 

“Hey, Lacey,” he started, sitting up in bed. He rubbed at his eyes with his free hand. 

“Hey! So, um. I may have had a little bit t-to drink, and I may or may not need a ride back to my dorm,” she explained, various laughter filling up the background. She was giggling too, and normally the sound would soothe Gold. Not this time. 

“How much did you drink?” He questioned, already getting out of bed. He began searching for something more appropriate to wear. 

“Oh, you know, not much,” she giggled, before hiccuping, “just a little beer, and um, some shots,” she elaborated, her speech slurred beyond comprehension. Gold had dealt with drunk Lacey before. When she said “some shots”, that usually meant _a lot_ of shots. 

Gold sighed. “Okay, just turn your location on on your phone and I’ll come get you,” he said, dressing while he kept the phone to his ear with his shoulder. Lacey squealed on the other end. 

“Thanks Aiden, you’re the best!” She half-screamed, her words interrupted by another round of hiccups. Gold sighed before grabbing his car keys. 

\- - -

“Lacey, c’mon,” Gold muttered, holding a hand out to the girl stumbling behind him. It was late. Very late. He shuddered at the thought of his 8 AM the next morning (well technically, this morning). 

“I’ve c-changed my mind! I wanna go back to the party!” Lacey slurred out before finally catching up to him, her hand interlocking with his. She slumped against him, a drunken smile painted on her face. 

“It’s late,” Gold mumbled again, keeping a firm grip on Lacey. She was all over the place. All he could smell from her was alcohol and perfume. A classy mix, he thought sarcastically. Still, he kept her moving. He had to park a bit away from where Lacey was, meaning he had to corral her to the car as best as he could. Part of him wanted to just let her crash at his place off-campus, but he knew better. He knew he needed to get her back to her dorm room so she could sleep off the poison she had ingested. 

“Y’know, has anyone ever told you how handsome you are?” Lacey said out of nowhere, pausing right in her tracks. Gold stopped too, a blank expression coming over his face. Clearly, he was in shock. He had never heard her say something like that to him. He had seen the guys she has gone out with (mostly through Instagram, but sometimes she would let him meet them). They were all dark haired brutes who towered way above him. He had figured that was her type, and he had come to accept that. Still, it stung. 

By the time Gold had remembered to breathe again, Lacey had inched herself even closer to him. “You’re drunk, Lace. C’mon,” he murmured quietly, trying to motion her in the direction of the car.

“Like, no. I’m so serious. You’re really attractive,” she slurred out, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. Yep, Gold was absolutely in shock at this point. “You’re really smart too. Like, the smartest person ever,” she said, leaning her head against his chest.

As an English major, Gold was usually good with words. Words had power. Yet, in this moment, he was at a loss for them. His best friend was in his embrace, something he had only dreamed of. “Thank you,” Gold eventually choked out, causing Lacey to smile even more. 

The two remained in the embrace, and Gold’s eyes watched as Lacey’s trailed down to his lips then back up to his eyes. “Can I kiss you?” She asked, her voice taking a more serious tone than the one she usually had. Gold’s heart dropped, causing his breath to hitch. “Lace, no. You’re drunk. We need to get you back home,” he explained, a stoic expression taking up his features. 

“No. I mean, yeah, I’m drunk, but I’ve wanted to kiss you while I wasn’t drunk,” Lacey said, staring holes into his eyes, “is it- is it because y-you don’t like me like that?” the girl questioned, her voice growing shaky. 

“No!” Gold screamed out almost instantly, before taking a minute to center himself again. “I mean, I do.. _like_ you like that..” he said, “it’s just that, no matter what you say now, you won’t think that in the morning,” he murmured, finally able to pull out of the grasp Lacey had him in. 

“But I will!” she retaliated, taking a step back from him. “I can prove it to you.” 

Gold raised an eyebrow. “How?”

“Tomorrow morning, when I’m s-sober,” she hiccuped, “you’ll see.” 

Gold sighed. “Alright then, tomorrow morning,” he murmured, his heart aching. He was not ready to be rejected by her, especially so soon. 

“Great, it’s a deal,” Lacey said, her hiccups continuing. “Now,” Lacey pointed at Gold, “can you take me home?”

\- - - 

Gold drove over to Lacey’s dorm room and parked before walking over to the other side of the car to open the door for her. She stumbled out quickly, already making a beeline toward the front door. Gold checked to make sure she had her keys and her wallet before following behind her. She swiped her card and was granted access, before running up the stairs. Gold tried to keep up, but exhaustion was kicking in again. By the time he reached her door, it was wide open. He walked in and immediately noticed the bathroom light on which caused him to sigh. 

He walked into the bathroom and long and behold, Lacey was leaning against the shower, having already emptied the contents of her stomach. Gold leaned down beside her and brushed some of her loose hair behind her ear. “You okay?”

Lacey only groaned. “Bed,” she said, pointing in the direction of her bedroom. She attempted to get up, but was clearly struggling in her choice of heels. She ripped them off and threw them on the ground before standing up. Gold followed. He had to stifle back laughter as Lacey bumped into the door frame.

“Do you want me to get you some water?” Gold asked, but Lacey shook her head. “Grab me a shirt and some shorts,” she mumbled, trying to unlace the back of her dress. Gold nodded and went into her closet, quickly grabbing a t-shirt and shorts that looked comfortable enough to sleep in. When he turned around, Lacey was shimmying out of her dress. He quickly handed her the clothes before turning around, giving her the privacy she needed. 

When Lacey had finished dressing, she wasted no time climbing into her bed. “Aiden,” she mumbled after getting situated underneath the covers. Gold turned around, an eyebrow raised. “Stay with me tonight, please,” she pleaded, moving over so he could have space on the bed. He furrowed his brows before shaking his head. There was no way he could stay, especially knowing the little deal the two of them had made earlier. 

“No, Lace, I have to get back to my place,” he said. Lacey frowned in return. 

“Please,” she said with a pout. Instantly, Gold knew there was no escaping it. He was already drawn in. (He was also very tired and a tad afraid of driving back in his current state.)

“Alright, let me get ready for bed then,” he said, sarcasm leaking from his voice. This caused Lacey to smile. He sighed before taking off the jacket he was wearing, as well as his shoes and slacks. He silently exited her bedroom to grab a glass from the small kitchen and filled it with water. He brought it back to her room and set it on her bedside table. She might not want it now, but she would need it in the morning. He made sure to set the alarm on his phone to wake him in a few hours for class, and plugged both his and Lacey’s phones in to charge. 

He turned the lights off before hesitantly climbing into bed beside Lacey. This wasn’t a completely foreign concept to him; he had stayed in her bed before. They have had late night conversations in her bed before. There have been nights where he had fallen asleep there because he was just too tired to make it back to his place. However, this was different. Their conversation and subsequent deal that occurred earlier had made it different. Yet, he felt at ease laying beside her. It was clear she was well on her way to being knocked out, but not before she reached over to grab his hand. 

“Night Aiden,” she murmured, squeezing his hand tightly. He smiled at her words. 

“Good night, Lacey,” he replied, squeezing her hand in return. 

\- - - 

The alarm Gold had set went off too soon. Way too soon. He groaned and rolled over before opening his eyes. He gasped, the sight of Lacey scaring him a tad. He had forgotten that he had spent the night here. His movement (and the alarm) must have woken up the girl beside him, because she began groaning and turning. Gold quickly reached over to turn off the alarm on his phone, before resting his head back on the pillow. 

“Hey,” Lacey murmured beside him, her face burrowing into a pillow. 

“Good morning,” Gold replied, shifting so he was now looking at her again, “how are you feeling?” 

“I feel like I was hit by a truck,” she groaned out, finally finding the courage to sit up in bed. “What time is it?” she inquired. 

Gold reached back over to the bedside table to look at his phone. “7:30,” he said, before slowly climbing out of the bed and reaching for his clothes. “I should get going, I have class soon,” he said, dressing quickly. He sat down to lace up his shoes when Lacey spoke out again. 

“Look, I’m sorry about last night. I know I’m impossible to deal with at times,” she said sarcastically, an eye roll added to enhance the effect. Gold chuckled and shook his head. 

“I’m just glad I was able to get you home safely,” he explained, standing up after his shoes were tied. He reached for his phone and his car keys, before heading toward the door. “I’ll see you later?” He asked, his hand on the door knob. 

“Wait,” Lacey said, maneuvering her body so she could climb out of the bed. Her landing was shaky and she had to lean against the bed to steady herself again. “I remember us having a deal,” she mentioned, moving closer to where Gold stood after finally being able to stand up straight. 

“Ah,” Gold nodded, “you remember that.” 

Lacey nodded in turn. “I do,” she murmured, taking a step closer to him, “and I meant what I said. I think I just needed a little… courage… for me to actually admit it.” 

Gold wanted to laugh. “Lace, you don’t have to do anything. You were drunk.”

“Yeah, and?” Lacey said with a smirk before moving closer to him. She gave him no time to object because she had already closed the distance between them, her lips moving to meet his. Lacey reached up to entangle her fingers in his hair, pulling his head and body closer to hers. The two embraced like this for a few moments before parting. Both were out of breath, but in the best possible way. 

Lacey smirked a little. “You don’t have to go to class, you know,” she said, almost seductively. 

Gold laughed. “I really do,” he replied, but he knew how this back-and-forth banter would end. 

“No, you don’t,” Lacey answered, pulling him in the direction of her bed. He faked an annoyed groan before smiling, going along with her movements. 

After all, how could he resist a request from her?


End file.
